Come out and play at the Alameda County Fair, 100 years in the making! The fair is held in Pleasanton at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, and is one of the state's largest county fairs with nearly a half million families visiting each year.

While some of these things might not be on the top of your "must see, must do" at the fair, noshing on fair food probably is. The Alameda County Fair has all the innovative "new" fair fare: fried Kool-Aid, huge burgers, foot-long corn dogs and more.

There are TONS of things to do at the Alameda County Fair if you're a young fair-goer:

Don't miss these fun attractions: Kids Pedal Tractor Pulls, the All-Alaskan Pig Races, Let's Pretend Farm Time Tour, the Great American Petting Zoo, and all of the 4-H and FFA livestock exhibits & small animal exhibits.

Introduction to geocaching will be held each Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A child-friendly midway is on the east side of the fairgrounds, where most rides are for those 48" or smaller. (The larger midway is on the west side of the grounds.)

Tickets or Unlimited Ride wristbands are available for purchase.

Most rides take 3-4 tickets per ride.

Unlimited Ride wristbands are $27 on weekdays and $30 on Saturday and Sunday.

Children under 36" may not ride alone.

Discounted admission tickets and ride options are available.

The fair has a fireworks display scheduled for Fridays: June 22, 29, and July 6. The fireworks show is held at the racetrack on the east side of the fairgrounds. For other special events, including live horse races and daily concert information, visit the fair's calendar.

1 Reviews

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missbirdie

5

Reviewed on 06/27/2011

Oh, does the excitement build in our household each June! The Alameda County Fair is an annual Absolutely Must See, Absolutely Must Do for the flock!

No fair compares to the Alameda County Fair, which opens each year in late June and continues through early July. The weather at this fair is perfect, the food is always top-notch, and the kid activities are spectacular.

There are TONS of buildings and exhibits indoors to wander through, and we do this first, extending the day and postponing the outdoor midway fun until after lunch. The commercial buildings make for a virtual "As Seen on TV" experience, and while some things are really gimmicky, some items I've fallen for, purchased, and loved.

In the past, we'd packed lunches — outside food is allowed — and eaten on shady lawn areas near the horse track, but recently, we've just budgeted to eat fair foods this one day each year. The teriyaki chicken sticks near the Festival Square Stage are delicious, as are the fried zucchini and grilled corn in another nearby food vendor area near the Festival Square Stage.

It's easy to burn through ride tickets when each ride requires multiple tickets and we've got three kids... Unlimited Ride wristbands are the way we go. Fortunately, with the admission discounts — we usually go on the Kids FREE days — we can save a little. The small midway has sufficed us now for 12 years. Our eldest has only just begun to ask to go on the bigger midway rides, which we hit on the way out.

The fun extras (pig races, ag displays, kid activity areas and kid-specific shows) are great and included with admission.

We typically manage to spend 12 hours at the fair... It's a whole day affair for this bunch!...more